Left - domestic cat photographed at Sussex.Over the last two days I've conducted two lectures to more than 300 people, and it's always amazing how many people come forward to report sightings of 'big cats' that otherwise they would have kept quiet. Witnesses come from all walks of life but it does help when someone who sees a 'big cat' has had some experience with differing species of cat. One chap came forward to say that a few years ago whilst walking at Pembury he'd seen a black leopard - I completely trusted his opinion as he'd worked with leopards many years ago. In the last few weeks there have been sightings of lynx and leopard from varying parts of Kent - Longfield (lynx), Dartford (black leopard), Sjeppey (black leopard), Sevenoaks (lynx) and Hempstead, near Gillingham (black leopard), Sitingbourne (black leopard) and in most cases I could say that I trusted the witnesses and their descriptions. However, it must be said that not all witnesses know what they are seeing, and too many times photographs and blurry film footga eof alleged 'big cats' makes its way onto websites and into newspapers when the reality is the images clearly show nothing more than domestic cats. This is very frutrating. I recall a few years ago one of the reputable (!) tabloids featured a photo on its front page of an alleged 'big cat' perched on a wall, whilst several cows grazed near it. The paper at the time claimed the photo showed the 'beast of Bodmin' and yet anyone with half a brain could tell it was a domestic cat - the shortness of the tail, the small pointed ears 9which happened to be close together), the short legs etc, etc. This happens all the time, and time and time again it allows the sceptics to make a mockery of decent research.

I present here a handful of images taken by people who claimed they'd seen a 'big cat' - naturally, some people will have genuine misinterpretations of dogs, feral cats, foxes etc, but the first image, taken at Jevington, Sussex, a few years ago, is interesting because the witness was adamant he'd photographed a black leopard. The photo made the local newspaper and yet clearly shows a domestic cat - even from a domestic cat anyone with a good eye should be able to tell the different between a leopard and a domestic cat - even a leopard cub shouldn't be confused with a domestic cat. The leopard has a long, curving tail, rounded ears, a muscular frame, especially in the shoulder and measures between 4 - 7 feet in length. Even a large domestic cat cannot match the description of a 'big cat'.

Left - the 'blob' of Sheppey - a domestic cat.The next image was taken at Sheppey not long ago, and I don't blame the witnesses for photographing it. The image shows a black dot in the distance, sitting at the edge of a field, stalking prey, but again, despite being a poor photo it does not show a black leopard. Also, another image more recently was passed around varying sources after someone claimed to have photographed the 'beast of Essex' and yet once again it is simply an unusual species of domestic cat. Whilst there are known to be smaller exotic cats in the UK - such as leopard cat, jungle cat, ocelot, and possibly caracal, and even jaguarundi, the photographs that appear in numerous papers etc, clearly do not show anything remotely exotic. It baffles me why newspapers etc use such images. Last year a paper down in East Kent sent me several photographs of a 'black cat' slinking along a street in the early hours of a morning. The reporter asked me what I thought about the "interesting photo's" andI just burst out laughing. The photo's clearly showed a domestic ca, nothing more nothing less, and yet several members of staff at the paper were sure this was a big cat. I get so many photo's sent to me by people who claim they've photographed 'big cats', and 99% of the time the images are of domestic animals, nearly always a moggy skulking along the edge of a field. Last year I visited a lady in Northfleet after she phoned me to say she'd photographed a puma in her back garden. I refuse to gte excited about any call until I fully investigate further, and in most cases photo's, and even a lot of sightings turn out to be nothing. Even so, I travelled to Northfleet and chatted with the lovely lady who showed me where in her garden this 'puma' had been and then she produced the photo - a domestic cat, albeit a rather matted loking one, sitting on a paving slab in her garden. The paving slab, in length, measured about 12 inches, hardly a monster cat! I asked the woman if she knew what a puma was, and she said, "Yes, that's one in the photo!"

Left - the 'beast of Essex' - simply an unusual species of domestic.I'm sure to this day she still has the photo and probably tells her family and friends it's a big cat and that I was mad for dismissing it, but as I always say to people, regarding 'big cat' evidence, you have to eliminate everything else first before considering 'big cat'. Another image I was sent came from a Mr Owens and reported seeing an unual spotted cat roaming around the outside of his property at Goudhurst. When he sent the photo I was amazed to see a lovely Bengal Cat. The striking markings, long tail, and muscular shoulder didn't suggest a 'big cat' but certainly an expensive pet that had obviously escaped from somewhere. The Bengal Cat is hybrid of domestic cat and leopard cat, and is a formidable predator in the wild but will be more than happy to show itself to humans. Nowadays such cats are kept as pets, and other forms of smaller exotic cats are also doing the rounds, some costing around £12,000! Not the sort of animal you'd want to escape from your house.

One must always remember that on too many occasions ohotographs that appear in newspapers or on internet sites and even on the news, are dubious to say the least, and if such an animal doesn't look like a leopard then it most likely isn't. It's always great to receive photographs of posisble 'big cats' and their evidence, but always try to get some type of scale when photographing animals from a distance, don't just take one photo, and if you can, try to approach, or at least, if the animal moves out of sight, go to the area and get a photo of you standing there, to judge height etc. Only recently film footage showing an alleged 'big cat' at Gloucestershire was palstered all over the main news (even though the footage was taken over a year previous) and to prove it was a 'big cat' the local researcher visited the area with a cardboard cut-out of what I presume was meant to be a 'big cat' although it looked like a deformed domestic cat. These are the sort of problems in judging scale etc, but hopefully the photo's I've presented here will give you an idea of what not to look for! Below, beautiful Bengal cat photographed in Kent in 2009.

A majority of people who see so-called 'big cats' in the wilds of Britain, are usually walking or driving alone. When these people report their sightings they are ridiculed, but on the occasion there are sightings which involve two or more witnesses. As I mentioned in a previous post there have been numerous sightings over the Easter period of so-called 'big cats' across the south-east and I've received around 10 sightings in three days, 9 of these have been in broad daylight. A majority of these are under investigation. However, when I receive reports of 'big cats' people often ask me if their children are safe to go out in the woods. I can understand why some parents are unsettled by the possibility of a large, predatory cat roaming their backyard. Today was one of those days. In the last two days I've had 3 reports of exotic cats involving small children. One of these came from the wooded areas of Sittingbourne, and involved a group of small children playing in woods near their houses. All of them came running home screaming, telling a parent they'd seen a large cat. One of the children said it was a "jaguar". Now, there are no jaguars roaming the UK, but after speaking with the worried parent it became clear the children had seen a lynx. Interestingly enough they all described, separately, the white underside of the animal as it gazed at them as it sat on a log. They all described a yellowy-orange coat, which had unusual mottled markings. (Left - Mick Cole claimed these wounds were inflicted by a lynx he cornered)

The lynx was said to have been eradicated from Britain's a woodlands a few thousand years ago. Some researchers believe it was an elusive enough animal to have hung on until modern times, but this has never been verified. We do know, however, that in the early 19th century a lynx was shot dead toward the West Country, and many 'big cat' researchers often quote naturlist William Cobbet who in his Rural Rides book spoke of seeing a large cat in a tree at Waverley in Surrey a few centuries ago - although this animal may have been the wildcat, now confined to Scotland. The lynx is a beautiful leggy animal, known for its short almost tuft of a tail, its tufted ears, and striking mottled coat. I had the fortune to share a cage with a lynx a few years ago whilst working with the BBC, and these animals are incredibly elusive.

It's highly unlikely the lynx seen in Sittingbourne was eyeing up the children for dinner. The animal was seen not far from a pheasant pen, and such birds would be ideal prey for a cat. I can certainly understand the concern of parents though when their children run home screaming they've seen a big cat in their woods. Parents want people like me to do something about it, but I cannot take the law into my own hands and build a cage and attempt to trap an animal. It's a catch 22 situation. I always advise that people do not approach, corner, injure such animals, and yet at the back of my mind there is always that worry that one day, just one day a large cat will strike at a child. Take for instance the case a few years ago now of Gravesend man Mick Cole who allegedly walked into his back garden and saw what he first took to the be a fox with a rabbit in its mouth. Mick, an optician, approached the animal which allegedly took a swipe at his hand leaving several nasty gashes. Some would say the witness should have gone to Specsavers, but joking aside, if this really did happen then we have a problem. The animal was simply defending itself, no wild animal should be cornered. Fair play to Mr Cole, he said it was his own fault, but if this had bene a child can you imagine the uproar it would have caused, especially when you consider the controversy recent alleged fox attacks have caused.

In 2005 a man living in Sydenham, south-east London, claimed that he was leapt upon one night, by a black leopard, which was in his back garden cornering his domestic cat. There's no evidence whatsoever to suggest this story was nothing more than a hoax but it didn't stop the press and the police swarming the scene looking fot he 'beast of Sydenham'. There was also a report over Easter concerning a young girl who whilst walking home to her house in rural Maidstone saw a very large black cat pacing back and forth near a dead tree. The girl was petrified and told her parents who phoned me. Then, several more people reported seeing a massive black cat near Blue Bell Hill. The animal had been quite happy to visit a few back gardens.

I'd hate to think what the response would be if a child claimed they'd been scratched by a large cat. Mind you, a few years ago a Josh Hopkins, who lives in Gloucestershire claimed he was scratched by a black leopard which clawed him across his face. Interestingly, apart from the newspapers, no-one else seemed to respond to this alleged encounter. Are the authorities happy for this to continue, or are they waiting for the time when a large cat actually attacks and eats a child ? In the United States with cougar, and in Africa and Asia, with leopard, attacks are rare but they do occur. Strangely, in the UK most attacks on humans, especially children, are carried out by dogs, and whilst these cause uproar, there appears to be no real against people owning such dangerous animals. Leopard and puma are, of course, a different matter, they shouldn't be here. At the moment such animals seem very comfortable with the UK wilds, and there is easily enough prey to support a viable, albeit small population. A few years ago I liaised with professional animal trapper and tracker, zoologist Quentin Rose (who sadly passed away) and he always looked beyond the silly mystery and scepticism regarding these 'big cats' and was concerned about the rise in numbers and potential attacks on humans. He believed that such animals required an official investigation but also stated quite categorically that this would involve trapping such animals and either shipping them to zoo parks or destroying them. I don't condone either of these methods and this seems unlikely to happen due to lack of time and resources from the groups concerned. Even so, an attack on a person, especially a child may change all this.

For now, there are only two opinins on 'big cats' in the UK - they do exist or they don't, and it doesn't go anywhere beyond this. Official groups, such as 'Natural England', have stated in the past that there's no evidence to suggest such animals exist, this is a rather worrying statement considering the amount of evidence that does exist. Sceptics state that these stories are made up yet haven't a clue about what 'big cat' evidence looks like, and then there are the believers, most who are quite genuine people who've simply gone out of their way to report something unusual. Of course, the situation brings with it the weirdo's and conspiracy theorists and paranormal views, and most mysteries do have that effect, but when you cast aside the nutcases, hoaxes, and misinterpretations, there's still a significant body of evidence to suggest there are black leoard, puma, lynx, and some smaller species of cats roaming the UK. As I always state, no evidence is good enough, and even if a child - perish the thought - is attacked, I'm sure someone will scoff, or dismiss the case or claim it was simply an escapee. One part of me hopes the dreaded attack will never occur and that these cats are left alone - in that case the sceptics can continue to bitch, but there's another part of me that wants to see official investigations, which will cost enormous amounts of money, and possibly involve trapping some of these cats for the sake of science.

I recently read another of those predictable blog posts from someone claiming that 'big cat' sightings were hyperbole (exaggeration). That's fine by me, it's your opinion, but try telling that to four screaming kids and a terrified and deeply concerned parent. I'm sure there are many people out there willing to laugh at 'big cat' sightings and my research, but when I present evidence such as deer found high up in trees, rams and their fleece rasped off, large chains of scat consisting of deer fur, scratch marks 10 feet up a tree, enormous paw prints unlike a dog, then I expect the sceptic to tell me the alternative as to what did this and instead of sitting behind a PC saying what can and cannot be, try getting out there and looking at the evidence and interviewing the witnesses you claim are insane or making all this up. At the moment, my money is on the very likely possibility there are large cats around. I'll prove to you there is, but can you prove to me there isn't ?

 (Left - lynx shot in Northern Ireland in the 1990s)

I'm sure there are a few sceptics, detractors and the like among the people who, over the years have read my articles, seen me talks etc. I do wish more detractors and sceptics would come forward with their criticism's rather than hide behind a pseudonym to vent their frutrations at my words. It's a shame that people can't be more civil and simply come forward and talk of their issues, or at least ask questions, which is why on this blog I'm trying to appease everyone with snippets of info and evidence. Mind you, it's always nice when sceptical folk have an encounter with a 'big cat'. Three cases spring to mind over the last few years. One such report concerned a doctor, who, despite all his qualifications, as one of the most ignorant people I ever met. He once told me that he knew everything about British wildlife and constantly pooh-poohed the idea of exotic cats roaming the UK. "I've nevers een one..." he told me time and time again. Sadly, the guy became so angry over the years at my claims, that he began to get rather personal, which I find very weird. Recently I've had a few people telling me they are going to shoot these big cats if I don't do something about it - one chap stated that he was worried about children being killed - but surely a trigger-happy lunatic attempting to shoot a big cat is far more dangerous, especially if he ends up hunting his quarry and injuring it. Anyway, back to the doctor - this guy would ring me time and time again, telling me there were no 'big cats' in the wild, and that he'd never once seen any sign. Now, when I give talks, or write articles etc, I can only put or offer material within the space I'm allowed - but often I show photo's of sheep kills, scat, and whilst I'm happy for someone to say these animals don't exist - my argument is, "Okay then, so if a big cat didn't leave this sheep up a tree or didn't leave that paw print then what did ?" and that's when the sceptics get rather angry, and it's all rather petty.

So, this doctor, time and time again began persecuting my words and my research until one afternoon when he went for a countryside stroll with his Alsatian dog. It was a warm, clear day in Ashford and the path he'd taken was like any other path - bracken and brambles either side, a frequently used route by him and many other ramblers. The trouble is, on this occasion, at about 2pm his dog saw something that the doctor probably, deep down, never wanted to see - it was a black leopard sitting on the pathway about 80 yards ahead. The doctor so wanted it to be another dog, but his own dog began to growl, and then whimper and stood firm between his legs, refusing to move. The doctor tried to drag the dog along the path, refusing to believe what he was seeing, in his own ignorance he persevered along the wooded path until he got to within about 50 yards and at that point the animal up ahead shidted and was now standing on all fours. The doctor - especially due to his nature expertise which he was all to eager to tell me off, could see that the animal was around 5ft long and the tail seemed to swoop down behind it. The tail was thick. The shoulders were muscular, the head square and flat, there was no muzzle. The Alsatian continued to resist and the animal up ahead seemed to casually look at the frightened pair - then look away - and then back at them before slinking nonchalantly off into the undergrowth.

It took the doctor 4 months to phone me, but even then his voice was full of...what I can only describe as anger. "Someone probably just let a leopard go," he snorted. I tried to be polite, and so I tried to get every detail from him, distance, size of animal, and asked him was he sure it wasn't a feral cat, and it was that comment which seemed to irk him the most, but now he understood the sort of comments I'd received over the years. Even so, deep down I was actually happy for him and hoe that he'd felt privileged as to what he'd seen rather than simply angry with me because he was wrong. On another occasion a man from Meopham stated quite categorically that there were no 'big cats' in Britain, until he saw one, with a whole group of people whilst on a ramble through the woods of Meopham, not far from Gravesend. Again, it was a daylight sighting, and the group had observed the animal up ahead sitting on the pathway. At first the witness thought it was an Alsatian - or hoped it was - until it moved off slowly into the bushes, but at least this witness wasn't full of such contempt, he was oberjoyed he'd seen the animal. Another case actually involved a relative of mine, a completely ignorant man who for around fifteen years had resffused to take my research seriously. He always commented, "I go out shooting all over Kent and I've never seen a cat, surely if anyone was going to see one then it would be me." I laughed and replied, "If you're out blasting the hell out of rabbits I don't think there'd be a reason for a cat to be around, and let's fact it, you can't be 'all over Kent' at the same time can you ?"

My relative had been shooting not far from Sittingbourne on private land. He was watching a JCB in the distance when a massive black animal ran across the field. He immediately phoned me, his voice shaking as he reported the animal - he was so startled that anyone would have thought he'd seen a dinosaur. When I told him, jokingly, that I didn't believe him he slammed the phone down. Oddly, the man now thinks he's the only person in England to have seen a 'big cat'!!

Sceptics and the like are funny ol' folk. I've often been of the opinion that it's ideal to be open minded, nothing more nothing less. When, as a kid I began looking into sightings of 'big cats' I never believed them and I didn't scof at them either, I simply decided I'd look at the evidence. Over the years I have and have formed my own opinion based on this which I thought was the best thing to do, maybe I'm wrong. I certainly don't think it's a good idea to go out all guns blazing thinking these cats exist in their thousands etc, too much belief can be just as bad as too much disbelief, but if someone is genuinely trying to put the evidence out there then all I can say to the sceptics and detractors is, look at it with open eyes, or at least get in touch with any isues you have, rather than hide behind pseudonyms making petty comments. It's not a playground, it's a subject that interests many people and many people have sen these animals. For many years I've written about ghost stories etc, but I keep the 'big cat' research separate. I've never seen a ghost, but I'm open minded because so many people claim to have seen one but evidence is lacking, but with regards to exotic cats in the wild, there is evidence.

Yesterday I was contacted by a lady named Trina who found a fox carcass that had been completely rasped clean (see image). She sent me several images. I've had these looked at by 4 different people who all are of the opinion that a large cat had killed it. Clearly, the fox hadn't died of natural causes, and whilst birds may have finished the carcass off, the rasped ribs etc, are the hallmarks we see time and time again with cat kills. I'm more than happy for someone to step forward and challenge this opinion, but to dismiss is entirely through ignorance is the worst thing you can do. Being open minded and having healthy debate is great, but to believe or disbelieve at an extreme is ignorance.

For many years there has been rumour that a large, black cat has been inhabiting the 30 square mile island of Sheppey. The thought that a cat - presumably a black leopard - inhabits the marshes of the island seems preposterous to many, and yet sightings continue. The Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper called me today to say they'd received a phone call from a Sheerness lady who claimed that last Thursday she had observed such an animal bounding down from the roof of a small industrial building. The sighting took place in broad daylight and her husband also saw the cat. I'd be happy to cast such a sighting to one side if it wasn't for the fact that since the mid '90s there have been consistent reports of a large cat on the island. Some would argue that sightings date back several decades previous to this but reports I've filed to sgguest this are scant. In my book Mystery Animals Of The British Isles: Kent I devoted a whole chapter to the 'black cat' of Sheppey and in 2008 visited the island with the BBC who set up a trigger camera for one week at Minster in the hope of catching the elusive animal on film. As expected, they didn't get the animal on film, but it was nice to speak to so many people who had seen the cat - and many witnesses had seen the cat in broad daylight.

Reports from the island are sporadic, mainly due to the fact that much of the island is marsh and the populated areas exist as small pockets - in other words, the only people who take to the marsh are farmers, hunters and dog-walkers. There are two ways on and off the island, two bridges, one which harbours a railway line, and some have theoriesd that this cat moves on and off the island via the railway line but this remains unfounded. A large, elusive, predatory cat would not have to leave the island if there was enough cover and prey - and believe me, there is. Although the territory of a leopard can stretch to several hundred square miles, the island, with its marsh, ditches, dykes, fields and hedgerows is ideal habitat for an animal that would normally hunt at night. And as for prey, the island is prefect. Rabbit, birds, rats, mice, foxes - the island is alive with wildlife, and farms full of livestock are dotted about the seemingly desolate wastes. Although the winter there is harsh, it would enable a large animal to move from A to B without being detected. The areas around some of the prisons are remote and the cliff edges are dense and steep. Some visitors to the island wouldn't even find the local radio station let alone a solitary and secretive cat!!

Some people believe that the reason a cat roams the island is because one such animal was released there in the '70s or '80s. It is very much a fact that in the '80s a chap did keep a large cat on the island - but it was a puma called Kitten. I don't know what happened to it, but a majority of reports describe a big black cat, which is not the colour of a puma (and anyway, a cat released in the '80s would be long gone by now). I'm also aware in the past that someone kept a lion or two on the island. The marsh area could certainly support a lynx or a puma, but occasionally a black leopard will be sighted as it crosses a field, or slinks along a roadside. There is also the opinion that the animal sticks to the coastal path, which in turn, if it wanted to, could take it off the island - it's no surprise that there have bene numerous reports from Sittingbourne, Iwade etc, just across the river - but I'm of the opinion that the cat is very much content on the island. The only issue of course is that a lot of shooting goes on in the marsh area...a few years back the Times Guardian did cover a story where a man claimed to have seen a big black cat shot by a farmer (who probably burned or buried the carcass) but there are some big feral cats on the island too, so who knows...

The so-called 'beast of Sheppey' has been observed in the summer months making its way along the back of some of the caravan parks on the island. It's been seen crossing near Warden Bay and observed near one of the prisons. The island is relatively flat with no real woodland - unusual habitat for a leopard which would normal patrol forest area. But again, at night the sland takes on a different form, much of the thirty-square mile territory is pitch black and stretches as far as the eye can see during the day.

The animal on the island may have been released there in the '90s at some point (in the mid to late '90s people reported seeing a young black leopard at Eastchurch), which would mean the animal is on its last legs now, unless of course there is more than one. The island certainly doesn't seem big enough to support a family of 'big cats' unless they were coming off the island. If one considers the woodland on the other side of the river, an animal that roams Sheppey could, the next day, be in Maidstone. One report however, which always sticks in my mind took place the day I filmed on the island with the BBC. Several witnesses were interviwed regarding their sightings of the black cat but when I got home after filming a taxi driver phoned me to say he'd seen a puma crossing a field. When he said "puma" I had to correct him and say, "Don't you mean a panther ?" (as most people get their species of cats confused) but no, he was adamant that what he'd seen was in fact a large, tan-coloured cat that crept across a field inhabited by horses. Every now and then a report of a puma takes place on the island and I don't doubt them, because however unrealistic sceptics think this would be, the isle of Sheppey remains one of the most ideal places for a cat or two to hide.

I'm more interested as to where it came from because as in so many of these sightings, the past seems to reveal alot more than the present day. By putting together the stories of the past however, we can hopefully answer the questions we seek today. Too many researchers look at the sightings nowadays and concentrate solely on them, but this will not give you any answers at all. If we can work out roughly how far back these sightings go, then maybe, once and for all we can determine if we've had cat populations for centuries, rather than decades. I know that animals existed in the woods back in the early 1900s and certainly a hundred years previous, but were they small populations which died out - only to be replaced by the explosion of releases in the 1960s, or are the animals of today offspring of those generations that we today, seem to ignore.

Hi there.

Let me begin by saying welcome to my brand new blog about film. I intend this to be a platform to share my thoughts and opinions and hopefully hear some of yours - I love nothing more than reading comments.

Where to begin? I suppose my love of cinema began right here in Kent, Sittingbourne to be exact. I can't remember what it was called back then but going to the two-screen cinema at the end of the High Street are some of my earliest and most vivid memories. On a sad note, that cinema has been closed for a while now...but I will always remember going there.

I can remember seeing films like Hook there back in the day. It is also the only venue I've ever been to where they had an interval and someone used to come out with a shelf thing selling sweets.

But reminiscing aside, I’m just making the point that my habit of watching movies - too many movies - started in a small independent cinema in a corner of Kent. On that note, where was your first cinematic experience and how has going to the pictures changed over the years?

Sittingbourne Dogs (muddy blue) take on Highlander (muddy red and white) yesterday, by PHIL HOUGHTON.

Three cheers for Gordon Henderson, the new MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

I chaired a question and answer session the other day at which he gave some forthright answers to some tough question by Swale business people at the flagship Kent Science Park.

It’s unfashionable to praise politicians these days, but it was good to hear a local MP with such a good grasp of business. As a former store manager of Woolworths and now a business consultant, he has a strong business hinterland.

Criticism of bankers was the main topic on the agenda, and for 30 minutes, he heard some horror stories about the failures of banks to invest in good small businesses. The banks may claim that there is plenty of money to lend but not enough good propositions. But hearing a succession of testimonies against banks is enough to make you doubt everything a banker says.

Banks are paying pathetic interest rates to savers despite the historic 0.5 per cent base rate, and widening their margins to borrowers. Loans that are approved to business are at such exhorbitant rates that would-be borrowers don’t want to risk it. Nor do they have any wish to put their family home on the line.

Gordon Henderson was sympathetic to all these views but the limits of power in a new MP were obvious to see. He promised to convey the local message to ministers, but it must be hard with so many knocking at their door to convince them.

That he has been around the block many times in business and political circles suggests he would make a good junior minister in Mr Cable’s department.